Kicked out of Argentina

El Calafate

Departing the bus terminal in Puerto Natales, Chile, at 0800 we were on our way to El Calafate, Argentina, and we had no idea what craziness would ensue. Driving 25km out of town to the border we checked out of Chile "stamp stamp" no problem. Back on the bus we drove 3 km through "no mans land" to the Argentina border to enter. 

Passports in hand we reached the front of the line and were called up next. Having "criss-crossed" the Chile-Argentina border four times now it was all pretty routine. Looking at our passports the customs agent then asked for our "reciprocity documents." Amy and I looked at one another then explained that we don't have any other documents, "no tenemos mas documentos." This "reciprocity tax" they call it, was more like an airport tax when you fly to the capital of Argentina (Buenos Aires). The tax could only be pre paid by credit card on the internet and without it you couldn't board your plane bound for BA. Having taken the bus into the country we had avoided paying this extra $75 the whole time. Today was a normal Patagonian Friday and the Argentinians decided to enact the reciprocity tax on ALL ports of entry on Thursday. The border agent pushed us aside denying us entry into the country!! Our bus driver then pulled our backpacks off the bus and drove off leaving us on the curb. So there we were, in "no mans land" formulating a plan. We walked the 3 km back to Chile where they stamped our passport one more time. With a smile we once again stood at the border with our thumbs out and waited. It wasn't long before a nice Chilean picked us up and drove us the 25 km back to town where we found internet, paid the $75 each, printed our documents and jumped on the next bus again to Calafate. 

The main attraction in El Calafate was the "Perito Moreno" glacier. Teaming up with our friends, Sjors and Ellen from the Netherlands we jumped on the bus heading out of town. All four of us had been to Antarctica, so what did this glacier have to offer that all the glaciers in Antarctica couldn't?  When the driver told us he would pick us up in six hours we were all wondering what we would do for six hours looking at a glacier. Working our way down the boardwalk for a front seat of this impressively large glacier, our Antarctic snobbery wore away quickly. Thunderous cracks and moans producing tremors in the water and before you knew it the glacier shed a house sized piece of ice into the water. The tremendous crash sent a tidal wave 2m high crashing onshore!!  The splash was taller than the 50m glacier. "Maybe we could spend six hours here watching a glacier". 

Over the course of the day we watched blue and white ice of varying sizes from city buses to apartment buildings crash in to the lake. 

Ice in every direction

Timber

50m high wall of ice

The ice bergs were rockin' and rollin'

It's falling... can you see it ?

Almost there....

Watch for the splash

Ka-boom

Rain, Hail, Snow, Sun

Hiking in Chilean Patagonia

From Ushuaia we now needed to get to Punta Arenas (start point for Chilean Patagonia). Taking the bus was the expensive easy option so we resorted to hitch hiking. Not sure how long it would take we gave ourselves three days to do what a bus does in 14 hrs. On the edge of town with 700 km and two border crossings ahead of us we outstretched our thumbs and started fishing. After five minutes a pickup pulled over and offered a ride only 100 km up the road, we kindly thanked him and declined. We wanted a bigger fish. After a half hour a German couple pulled over their rental car to take a picture by the "Bienvenidos al Ushuaia" sign. After taking their photo we politely asked for a ride but they said their car was too small. In the cold watching them drive off we wished they got the upgrade to a mid size vehicle. 

Thumbs out

After an hour a VW pickup pulled over and a jolly local offered us a ride to the next big town 230 km away. We climbed in and arrived in Rio Grande 2 hours later. On the side of the road again a well dressed man with his 5 year old son pulled over and explained to us that we were in a bad spot to get picked up and we would be there "todo dia". A ways down the road was where the city bypass reconnected with the road, this was the place for the "big fish". After waiting for 15 minutes who drives by but the German couple. The astonished look on their face was priceless "what the? How the?" again they passed us up, however the big rig headed to Buenos Aires didn't. The driver hopped out to help us with our bags and said he could drive us to the border 60km down the road. 

The border

Checked out of Argentina with 30 km of "no mans land" until the Chilean border, we began fishing once again. We now realized a predicament, drivers were unsure of picking up hitch hikers before crossing a border (understandably), so when a trucker said yes (after 4 hours of waiting) he would take us we were ecstatic. At the Chilean border, stamp stamp, we were in. Now riding in Pablo's well kept big rig we were back on the road. A chatty Pablo offered us tea while he told us all about his friends and family at home. Politely turning down a cup of tea we realized we hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and it was now 20:00. We watched the scenery pass by on a gravel road with nothing but blowing grass in every direction. We realized we really were at the end of the world. 4 hours with Pablo and we were at the ferry to get off Tierra del Fuego. Our destination was only 2 hours farther but the opposite way he was headed. So scoping out vehicles with Chilean license plates on the ferry we found an empty mini van and asked where they were headed, Punta Arenas, we were in! We said bye and thanked Pablo and jumped in the van for our 5th ride and final leg! Dozing in and out of sleep we arrived in Punta Arenas at 1 am. Hitch hike success. 18 hours, 5 locals with big hearts and 2 border crossings! 

Torres del Paine national park

The main attraction in southern Chilean Patagonia is the Torres del Paine national park. With lakes, mountain ranges and deep valleys it's a place no backpacker can miss. We rented a tent and stove and set out to do the "W" trek. A hike that takes you 5 days 4 nights through the most beautiful scenery, and camping along the way. Our first day was an easy 11 km hike up the first valley to Glacier Grey. Making the hike not so easy was the sideways rain and 90 km/hr gusts of wind! We made it wet and cold and set up our tent. Walking up to the glacier "look out" we had a break in the weather, the sun shone on the ice bergs and birds chirped. 

Hiking up the valley

Snow dusted mountain towering over us

Glacier Grey

Ice art

I wanted to sit on an iceberg and Chris said "I would fall in the water."

Day 2 was an 11 km hike back down the valley and we could have stayed the night at that campsite but decided to keep on going. In 2011 a tourist set the park on fire, 17,000 hectares of forest burnt down leaving an open desolate looking landscape. Hiking the next (7.6 km) 3 hours in the open we were toys to the weather. Wind, sideways rain, hail and mud up to your shins. Arriving at the next campsite we learned it was closed! Bano problems. Looks like we must keep going. Climbing over boulders up the French valley we kept hearing loud rumbles and looking up to see avalanches dropping tons of snow off the glacier shelves. A look out over the valley there were green lakes and snow caped mountains. 

Feels like home

Burnt forest

Patagonia berries

View from French Valley

The next camp of Los Cuernos was another 7.5km. Sore feet setting in and aching backs from our packs we kept going. Not long after the clouds parted and sun shone through! With the wind at our backs we hiked along the lake stopping every 15 minutes to take a look at the waterfalls cascading down next to us. 26.1 km, we slept like logs that night! 

Day 3 started as a beautiful sunny day. Packing up the tent we hiked the 13 km to campmento Los Chilenos where we had some of the craziest winds! Setting up the tent and anchoring it with child sized boulders we were just about to hike up to the famous Torres when the valley became socked in and rain poured down. We decided to give it an hour to see if it cleared but with no luck we called it a day and went into the lodge for some much deserved beers. 

That's a stinky sock

Day 4 started much to early when the alarm went off at 4:30am. Ugh, but we wanted to see the Torres before hiking out. The 6km early morning hike was refreshing and arriving at the look out for the Torres was beautiful. Clouds rolling over the peaks with the morning sun casting shadows. Hiking the next 5 hours out to catch the bus we laughed at how we did in 4 days what takes most people 5. Crazy Canadians. 

Torres

Goes to show how fast the weather changes in Patagonia